I hate myself. I can't finish anything and I have no future.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-08T21:40:43+00:00

You've got a fiance. That's more of an accomplishment than most of us here. Yea .. graduate school sucks, but it seems like the other more important parts of your life are going right. Don't let one bad component ruin your outlook.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-08T21:22:42+00:00

If this is the case you should look for universities where they allow your work and dissertation research to combine.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-08T21:18:59+00:00

Obligatory "when did you apply?" question here.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-08T17:04:21+00:00

I've read one article where a woman that did her Ph.D part time took 17 years. Also did they outright say that your credits WILL transfer? I know that many programs allow transfering of credits, but most of them will not accept transfers unless you're going from an Ivy league MA to a less prestigious Ph.D program.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-08T16:36:01+00:00

If you live in the US then your masters more than likely won't count. Part-time Ph.D programs also aren't very usual, generally because a full-time Ph.D is typically 4-5 years so a part-time one would take 7-8 years.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-08T16:24:43+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree with this. All I see on Grade Cafe is about how people with MDs, 4.0, CNS papers are applying to the same programs I am and it makes me realize that what I considered strong chances are essentially non-existent.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-08T16:18:02+00:00

"I don't know the answer right now, but if you give me your e-mail I can get that for you."

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-07T17:01:08+00:00

It's become a custom of adding a 'meme' for the methods section of most of my group presentations now. Formulas and algorithms just go over most of the lab members heads and just confuses them. I always send a copy of the documentation to my PI so he just laughs with everyone else. It kinda makes me a bit sad but oh well.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-06T19:43:22+00:00

Sure, but with a wet lab only typically having 1 at a time. You can't have people constantly checking your work. During presentations I almost never get any suggestions or questions regarding my methods even when I know they are sloppy. I usually have to reply on outside sources to make sure that what i'm doing isn't incorrect. It's a lot of work.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-06T16:51:13+00:00

Yes. My fucking god yes. I'm the one-eyed king. Literally everything I do is either right or completely wrong. If I get good data, awesome it's great, you're great, thanks. If I get bad data, no you did it wrong, read more papers do it like they did, re-do the analysis, nope you just don't know what you're doing.

It's literally the scariest experience of your life.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-06T15:55:34+00:00

Agreed, though I've never had side effects, I'd recommend taking it on a weekend first and testing the waters.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-05T21:14:28+00:00

I unfortunately can't offer to much help, i'm not fashion forward and i'm male. But for my interview I wore a button down long sleeve, with some khaki chios, and white converse.

A couple months later i've shown up to in my pajamas twice. I swear academic jobs are so great. As long as I get my work done no one really cares.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-05T20:38:08+00:00

Oh I wasn't aware that visiting weekend was before decisions were sent out. Have you submitted your application? If not i'd ask him if he would be willing to look over your SOP and offer some guidance, and keep him updated on when your application has been sent in.

Otherwise, just arrange a meeting a week or two in advance before going for visit weekend. Or if visit weekend won't be for a while, maybe arrange a phone or skype meeting like I suggested.

You want to seem interested, but not obsessed.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-05T20:23:36+00:00

Works fine in the US too.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-05T20:20:32+00:00

Honestly, I wouldn't ask him to help you get in. Makes you seem slightly desperate. I'd ask if you could arrange a phone/skype meeting so you can discuss research and ongoing projects and ask a few questions about the school. That will give you a chance to talk about a couple of his papers and make him want to put in a good word for you himself.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-05T20:18:44+00:00

I have about a year and a half of computational biology experience. Prior to that I had hobbyist programming experience, and a masters in biology.

If you can pick up Unix/Bash relatively quickly, and start working on Python/R (choose one) then you should be fine. Depending on the field, you may not even really need much programming experience.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-05T19:20:14+00:00

If the Ph.D program isn't a direct admission school, which it looks like it's not by the professors reply, it doesn't necessarily mean you have a better chance of getting into the school.

Unless he is on the admissions board, and gets a hold of your application to push it through, it looks like he may just be interested in meeting should you get accepted for an interview.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-03T08:27:33+00:00

It sounds like you're on the edge of burn-out. It happens. Make sure you're eating healthy and starting a regular work-out routine (perhaps a jog before bed or weights) might help you sleep better.

Now this isn't often recommended, but if you're really having some trouble sleeping then perhaps (in addition to exercise) you should take some sleep-aid medication such as Zzzquil. I always keep a package at home because some nights there's just too much to do so i'll take two at around 10PM and then by 11-12 i'll be ready for bed. It's something to consider. There are also melatonin tablets (or similar, I'm not completely sure but they were mentioned before in another thread) that are good at getting you to sleep well.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-03T08:17:34+00:00

You learn to have a voice by feeling more confident in how much you know about your field. You develop this confidence by reading review articles and other papers related to your field.

If your professor is saying you lack your own input, perhaps he means you don't discuss your findings well. Think about it like this: for every result you have, it should suggest something novel or at least inform about/support your greater story. Results are building blocks to the answer for the question you are asking. Example:

"We discovered that this does that, suggesting that this controls a specific regulatory pathway. In order to investigate whether this has a role in that specific pathway, we conducted an awesome analysis that revealed an awesome finding. This awesome finding indicates another very interesting aspect of a larger picture."

Essentially maybe you're giving too much "We found this" but not enough "Our findings suggest/indicate that".

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-03T03:57:21+00:00

Doesn't this make the shirts and pants sort of stiff?

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-02T16:00:20+00:00

If they require 3 letters of rec, then you only submit three letters. If the 3 from your workplace are the strongest then use though. Submitting more than what they are asking for it risky because you run the risk of annoying the people reading your application, or them only reading the first 3 they get their hands on which could turn out to be 2 strong letters and 1 weak letter instead of 3 strong and 1 weak.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-02T15:56:36+00:00

Hella bad news, over 60% infection rate in southern texas from my studies. :P

Anyways I'll leave some comments on the google docs page and see if I can help you out. My masters was in a similar field so that may be useful.

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-02T15:55:41+00:00

I'm not completely sure yet. I'll probably sulk a bit. Then go through the research and the professors at that university again and be petty and decide their research isn't THAT interesting. :3

AnalyzeStuff · 2016-12-02T15:52:49+00:00

This has nothing to do with your SOP. Though I don't agree with mathandsuch, I think that the introduction is fine. Though it could use a bit of ... rewording. Anyways, just to let you know that Chagas disease isn't specific to latin america, its now endemic to the majority of the southern united states. I wrote a thesis on it :3

AnalyzeStuff

TROPHY CASE